Selected brgys in Cebu City pilot areas for ‘prepaid electricity’
Photo courtesy of Visayan Electric
CEBU CITY, Philippines – Visayan Electric will be rolling out a new way for consumers to manage their electricity use.
The distribution utility, during a virtual briefing last Tuesday, September 20, announced that they will be implementing a prepaid system in selected communities in Cebu City.
Called Load-E, customers will be allowed “to pay in advance for a pre-computed amount of electricity with no daily fee or set costs,” according to a deck presentation by Visayan Electric.
“Basically, it is being patterned on existing prepaid systems on telecommunication companies,” said Daryl Bonbon, assistant vice president for Customer Services for Visayan Electric.
Pilot areas for Load-E that is expected to start this October are Barangays Banilad, Kasambagan, and Lahug in Cebu City.
Prior to the launching, the prepaid system underwent several tests among employees of Visayan Electric in 2019.
Bonbon said Load-E’s primary targets are consumers who are often away from their properties such as tenants of rental businesses and residential spaces.
“We chose these three barangays because they have a large concentration of the ideal consumers for Load-E,” explained Bonbon in Cebuano.
Visayan Electric will begin accepting applications for Load-E this October 15. Existing postpaid consumers from the pilot areas can also avail themselves of the prepaid payment system, without additional charges.
When using Load-E, customers can top-up their “smart meters” through Unionbank online, over-the-counter, or Visayan Electric mobile app.
Minimum top-up amount is P200 which, Bonbon said, is equivalent to 20 kiloWatt-hour and could last between three to five days.
Consumers are also notified through text if their load is running low.
“(The purpose of having Load-E is that) we’re helping customers have the options or choices on how to manage their consumption of electricity,” Bonbon added.
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/ dcb
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